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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Joe Sacco (Medford, Mass.), the head coach of the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche, has been named head coach of the 2013 U.S. Men’s National Team that will participate in the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship May 3-19 in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, it was announced today by USA Hockey.
Sacco has vast experience on the international stage as both a player and coach. He served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team at both the 2009 and 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship. As a player, he competed in the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, and helped the U.S. to a fourth-place finish. He also played in six IIHF Men’s World Championships (1990-92, 1994, 1996, 2002), was a member of U.S. Men’s National Select Team that competed in the 2002 Deutschland Cup, and skated for Team USA at the 1989 IIHF World Junior Championship. Sacco is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Avalanche. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the National Hockey League’s Coach of the Year in his first season behind the bench in 2009-10, guiding Colorado to a 43-30-9 record and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avalanche became the first Western Conference team to make the playoffs after finishing last in the conference the previous year since the league expanded to 30 teams in 2000-01.
Prior to leading the Avalanche, Sacco spent two seasons as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters. He also spent two years as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Albany River Rats (2006-07) and Lowell Lock Monsters (2005-06).
Sacco was a fourth-round pick (71st overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in 738 NHL games over his 13-year career, which included stints with the Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers. All total, he finished with 94 goals and 119 assists for 213 points.
Sacco played college hockey at Boston University, where he appeared in 111 games over three seasons (1987-90).
The staff and players of the 2013 U.S. Men’s National Team are selected by the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group, led by Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. The group includes National Hockey League general managers Stan Bowman (Chicago), Paul Holmgren(Philadelphia), Dean Lombardi (Los Angeles), David Poile (Nashville), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh), and Dale Tallon (Florida), along with Anaheim Ducks scout Brian Burke and Pittsburgh Penguins scout Don Waddell.
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